


Chocolate Eclairs

by sammysouffle



Series: Bad Guy Nation [3]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Gen, Harry Lives, Humor, James Nightingale is just done, Liam Donovan is a dick, Liam Lives, M/M, Non-Graphic Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23853331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammysouffle/pseuds/sammysouffle
Summary: After their eventful evening, James and Liam end up at Salon de The where James has a lot of explaining to do and Liam just wants chocolate eclairs.
Relationships: James Nightingale/Harry Thompson, Liam Donovan & James Nightingale
Series: Bad Guy Nation [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709182
Kudos: 15





	Chocolate Eclairs

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know much about Harry so my apologies if he seems too OOC here.

Numbness takes over his body as they leave the warehouse. James does not know where they are going but he just follows Liam. Liam is saying something but his voice is a blur just like everything else.

“James, hey,” a touch of his arm makes James practically jump out of his skin. “Whoa, you alright?” It’s Harry. James relaxes just a little at the familiar sight of his boyfriend in the signature Salon de The black and white striped T-shirt and the yellow scarf. 

James wraps his arms around Harry and pulls him into a tight hug. He feels the tension drain from his body when he finds himself in the warmth of his boyfriend’s body. 

“James, what’s wrong?” Harry’s concerned voice rings in his ear. “ _ What  _ did you do to him?” He’s asking someone. 

“Nothing. If anything you should be thanking me,” Liam’s says from somewhere behind him. James pulls apart from Harry and turns to look at Liam who looks smug as ever but something seems a bit off about him. 

“Thanking you? James’ heart skips a beat when out of nowhere, Romeo grabs Liam by the collar. “You’ve caused nothing but grief for our family.” 

“Get your hands off me, kid” 

“Or what?” Romeo challenges him. 

James can see the rush of anger in Liam’s eyes and takes that as his cue to step in. “Romeo! Let him go!” He demands, pulling his son away. 

“James, what are you doing with him? And why is he here in my patisserie?” 

James almost has the urge to groan when he is bombarded by questions from his mother next. 

“ _ He  _ is hungry and a customer of yours, not to mention your son’s very well paying client, so I reckon you and your family treat me with a bit more respect,” Liam unhelpfully decides to answer. 

“He’s your  _ client _ ? After everything he has done.” James doesn’t like the sound of disappointment in Harry’s voice. 

“I-” He struggles to come up with a good answer. “I need the money and he pays well.” 

“He’s a  _ drug dealer _ , James!” Mother always had the habit of stating the obvious. “Has he got you onto drugs?” 

“No, of course not!” James is tired. His life was just threatened and he doesn’t have the energy to defend himself right now. “I am on the verge of bankruptcy. These past few months, I was so obsessively involved in Harry’s case that I neglected my other clients who decided to leave. So I will take whatever I can get.” It’s not a complete lie. He has lost a few clients but not enough to go bankrupt. 

“And who’s fault is that?” Harry points out. “ _ He’s  _ the reason I was in this mess, to begin with. He’s a snake, James. I hope you know what you are getting yourself into.” 

“ _ He  _ is standing right here,” Liam annoyingly chimes in again. “And  _ he  _ is also starving. Does this place have anything good?” Sauntering over to a table, he takes a seat like he owns the place. 

“I am  _ not  _ having the likes of you in my patisserie. And besides, we are closed so I suggest you leave right this instant. _ ”  _

“Mother, it’s okay,” James insists gaining a dramatically horrified look from his mother and judgmental looks from his boyfriend and son. James decides to ignore them and walk over to the table where Liam is sat and take a seat in front of him. 

“I am scared for you, James,” James hears his mother say, disappointment lacing her voice before she disappears behind the counter. 

“What do you want?” Harry asks grudgingly, tapping his pen impatiently on the notepad in his hand. 

James avoids looking at him. Left alone with his thoughts, the events of the night play in his head like a horror movie on replay, and every time he sees a gun pointed at his head, a chill runs down his spine. 

“Did you just call me a twink?!” Harry’s angry voice brings James out of his thoughts. 

James looks over at Liam to find him smirking up at his boyfriend. 

“Yeah, cause you are one. Those are just facts. Now get me my five chocolate eclai-” 

“You-” Harry charges towards Liam but James grabs him by the arm to hold him back. 

“Just- just get him what he wants,” he pleads with his boyfriend. 

“I don’t know  _ what  _ this home wrecking bastard has got on you, James, but I wish you would tell me.”

James hates being the reason for Harry’s disappointment once again. He himself doesn’t really understand why, despite everything, he is still taking Liam’s side. Even after he almost got him killed tonight. 

“Get me something that at least remotely resembles a coffee!” Liam shouts after Harry, earning a middle finger from him over his shoulder. “He is a real Prince Charming: No wonder you are so in love with the twink.”

James notices the slight bitterness in Liam’s voice but makes nothing of it. “Stop calling him a twink,” he tiredly defends his boyfriend.

“No,” he says with a sense of finality in his voice. “I have something for you,” Liam changes the subject and takes out three thick envelopes from his coat pockets and slams them down on the table. “I believe I owed you 50k for your three  _ glorious  _ hours.” 

James picks up the envelope and indeed finds 50-pound bills inside. “Were you just carrying around 50,000 pounds in your pockets?” 

“I have a lot more where that came from,” he says instead. 

“This was a one-time thing. I have no interest whatsoever in doing this again with you. Next time I will definitely end up with a bullet between my eyes.” James shudders just thinking about it. 

“I wouldn’t let that happen to you.” The smugness is suddenly gone from Liam’s voice, replaced with a sincerity that surprises James. 

“You almost did tonight,” James reminds him. “I saw your face, Liam. You were willing to throw me to the dogs just to save your precious club.” 

“Did I consider letting Brady have you to save my club, for a second? Maybe.” James raises an eyebrow at Liam, who quickly adds, “But I didn’t! I saved you.” 

“If  _ that’s  _ what getting saved by you looks like…” James trails off. 

“Saved from what?” James’ heart skips when he hears Harry’s voice beside him. Harry slams the plate of eclairs and the coffee on the table before giving James a curious yet concerned look. “

“He- uh- He saved me from the creditors today,” James lies. Again. 

“James, if things are  _ this  _ bad then maybe you should consider joining a firm.” 

“Oh yeah, and become corporate stooge,” Liam scoffs. “Great advice, twink.” 

James notices Harry’s tightened grip on the tray in his hand and rests his own hand above his to as a way to calm him down. 

“Better that than working for a dangerous snake who will no doubt turn around and bite him someday.” 

“Oh, I definitely want to bite him,” Liam trails his eyes down James’ body again, making him squirm under that intense gaze. “Just not in the way you think, twink.” 

Horrified, James looks up at Harry who is as shocked as James feels. His grip tightens on the tray once again and James is almost sure he’s ready to beat Liam to death with it. 

“Harry, go get your things. I believe we should head home now… Mother and Romeo can close up.” 

“Good idea,” Harry says in a low, dangerous voice without taking his eyes off Liam. “Because the longer I stay here, the more I will think about stabbing him in the eye with a butter knife.” Pulling his hand out of James’ grip, Harry turns around to leave but then much to James’ surprise, he suddenly finds his hair grasped in a tight grip and his head tilted backward. James doesn’t even time to react as Harry’s lips land his own in a bruising kiss. James practically moans into his mouth but Harry pulls away from him a little too soon. 

“I love you,” he tells James before turns his attention to Liam. “And you, _ Mr. Donovan _ , I hope you enjoy your eclairs that I most definitely did not spit into,” Harry says giving Liam a fake smile. 

But instead of looking disgusted, Liam picks up an eclair and take a big bite out of it, while staring right back at Harry.

Harry flips him off before leaving. James shakes his head at the two grown men-child. 

“Brady’s seen your face. He knows who you are,” Liam says once Harry is out of earshot. 

“And what’s your point?” 

Liam takes another bite of his eclair, finishing it off this time before picking up another one. “You don’t know this man. The things he’s done. Today was just a small preview of what he is capable of. You, your family, everyone else you know and potentially care about are in danger and the only way to keep Brady off your back-” 

“-is to work for you?” James finishes Liam’s thought for him and scoffs shaking his head in disbelief. “I can take care of myself and my family. I do not need you.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Liam challenges. “You have no resources, you were not exactly lying when you told your family that you were bankrupt because while you may not be bankrupt, you are not exactly doing well financially, and you have no one else in your corner to help you. So the way I see it, the only way for you to stay safe is to work with me.” 

“Are you threatening me?” James asks affronted and scoots over in his seat to get closer to Liam’s face. 

Liam doesn’t seem intimidated at all. Instead, he just keeps giving James his annoying, signature smirk while taking a whole bite of the rest of his second eclair. 

Anger rushes through James’ vein and pulls the plate away from Liam, preventing him from having any more of the French dessert. 

“Hey! Those are mine!” Liam complains. “And no, I am not threatening you. I am merely offering you protection.” 

“I would not even need protection if it wasn’t for you tonight. Had you done your research before sauntering in to meet Thing 1 and Thing 2 then we wouldn’t be in this mess.” 

“And  _ this  _ is exactly why I need you. We have so much to offer each other and for once that’s not an innuendo,” Liam says sounding surprisingly serious. “You can be the brains and I can be the brawns of this operation. Together you and I can take on Brady. But there’s one condition…” 

James narrows his eyes at the other man. He very sure he will not like this condition. 

“You  _ have  _ to give me back my eclairs.” 

James rolls his eyes and scoots the plate towards Liam again. 

“Great, so I am guessing we have a deal?” He asks before taking a bite of the eclair again. 

James mulls over the pros and cons in his head. He looks over at the counter where Harry and Romeo are standing shoulder to shoulder laughing with each other, while mother is busy telling them something with her usual dramatic flair. After everything they have been through in the past few years, their family has finally some stability now and James does not want that to be taken away. 

“Yes,” he says distractedly before shifting his gaze on Liam again. “We have a deal.” 

***

James finds himself pushed against the door as soon as it closes behind them. “Wha-” the question dies on his lips when Harry kisses him again with the same ferocity as before. His tongue probes James’ mouth and James lets him in. He rests his hands on Harry’s waist and pulls him closer to close the distance between them. 

“What was that all about?” James asks when they pull apart and let their foreheads rest against each other. 

“What? Am I not allowed to kiss my own boyfriend?” 

The edges of James’ lips twitch with an almost smile and he raises one of his hands to rest it on Harry’s cheek, letting his fingertips brush over the smooth skin. “You, my love, are allowed to kiss me whenever you like.” 

“Good, because we have the whole place to ourselves tonight and I reckon we take full advantage of it.” 

James likes Harry’s train of thought and he lets his boyfriend take his hand and lead him to their bedroom. 

James pulls Harry close and kisses him again, letting all his worries and stress melt away as he explores his boyfriend’s mouth for the millionth time. He never gets tired of the taste of coffee that lingers on his tongue. Harry fumbles with his James’ tie as they kiss and when he manages to get it off, he pulls away it to sling the tie around his own neck. 

“What are you doing?” James asks confused, as Harry works on his shirt next, opening one button at a time. 

“You will find soon enough,” he smirks pushing James’ shirt off his shoulders. 

James is not a big fan of suspense but he feels this might not end badly as everything else. He quickly takes off trousers and pants, and throws his phone on the bed, while watching Harry take off his own clothes. 

“Get into bed.” 

“Was that an order?” James asks, taken aback by Harry’s sudden change of tone. Even as he’s naked, Harry still keeps James’ tie slung around his neck. 

“Yes, it is,” Harry replies. “Now get into bed, James.” 

James complies and gets into bed, lying back against his pillow. Harry climbs on top of him and presses a gentle kiss on his lips. 

“Hands, on the headboard,” Harry delivers another order much to James’ surprise. They have never done this before so James is not entirely sure where it is coming from. But he’d be lying if he said he did not like this dominant side of his boyfriend. It does turn him on. 

James goes along and holds onto the headboard as Harry leans over him and ties his hands to the rails on the headboard with his own silk tie. James tests it out by pulling at his hands when Harry is done. 

“Is it too tight?” 

“No, it’s just right,” James assures him. 

“Good,” Harry kisses him again. “You just lie there and let me take care of you tonight.” 

“What is the occasion? I do not believe it’s my birthday today.” 

“I don’t need a special occasion to make my boyfriend feel special.” Harry trails kisses along James’ neck, stopping at the spot between his neck and collar bone. He gently nips along James’ collar bone and soothes it with his warm tongue. That makes James buck his hips against Harry and tug at the binds around his wrists. 

“Shhh…” Harry travels up to Jame’s face and strokes his cheek before giving a tender kiss on the lips. “Relax. I got you.” 

James nods with a giddy enthusiasm as Harry moves down to his neck again. James lets out a yelp when Harry bites down on his neck. Harry laps at the spot with his tongue soothing it but James is sure it will leave a mark. James closes his eyes and lets his boyfriend take care of him but a sudden flash somewhere to his side brings him out of his state of pleasure. 

“What are you doing?” James asks when he finds Harry with his phone, clicking pictures of them in the compromising position. Harry doesn’t answer and instead delivers another bruising kiss to his lips. James can’t focus, his mind lingers to the phone still in Harry’s hand. Harry’s tongue probes his lisp and James lets him. But then performance anxiety kicks in and makes him pull away from his boyfriend. 

He briefly notices the red recording button on the phone with a clock running beside it. “Are you making a sex tape?” James asks horrified. 

Harry moves off of James and smirks to himself while clicking away on James’ phone. “It’s just for an audience of one.” 

A chill runs down James’ spine at the thought of Harry sending a compromising photo and video of them to someone. He wonders if this is some kind of punishment. He  _ was  _ clearly angry earlier and now he was all over James. James should have known it was some kind of a trick. 

When Harry tosses his phone away and tries to kiss him again, James turns his head away. 

“Who did you send it to, Harry?” He asks with a slight tremor in his voice. 

Harry grabs his chin, forcing him to turn his face towards him. “Hey, don’t look so scared. It isn’t revenge-porn if that’s what you’re thinking. I just sent it to your annoying new best friend to warn him off.” 

James’ eyebrows shoot up at the answer he gets from his boyfriend. “Liam? Warn him off what?” 

“ _ You _ of course.” 

“Wait… are you jealous of Liam? Of all people?” James asks like its the most ludicrous idea in the world. Because it truly is. “He’s straight. He just flirts with anything with a pulse. It’s a trick to throw the opponent off their game.” He’d seen Liam do the same with Brendan earlier which led to Brendan losing his balance for a second. 

“Oh, babe,” Harry says cupping his face. “If you think that man is straight then you need to really tune up your gaydar. Also, after  _ everything  _ we have been through, if he thinks I will just let him steal you away from me then he has another thing coming.” 

“I love  _ you, _ ” James assures him. “I have no interest in Liam Donovan whatsoever. He is nothing more than a business client. A well-paying one. So you might not want to send him any more pornographic material.” 

“After everything he put me through, he should just be glad I didn’t poison his food tonight.” 

“Wow, you really know how to set the mood,” James replies sarcastically. “Now if I remember correctly, I was promised a good time. So can we please stop talking about Liam Donovan and get to it?” 

“Bossy,” Harry teases and kisses him again. 

***

The buzz of his phone pulls James out of his deep slumber. He feels a heaviness on his chest and numbness on his right arm and looks down to see Harry fast asleep, cuddled against him. James slowly reaches out with his left, careful not to wake his boyfriend up, and picks up at the phone from the nightstand. He finds a message from Liam which simply reads:

_ Tomorrow. 1 PM. At The Loft. Be there.  _

James rolls his eyes and is ready to set the phone aside when it buzzes again. 

_ If you’re not TIED UP.  _

James’ confusion only lasts a couple of seconds when he remembers the messages Harry sent out earlier. 

_ P.S. I prefer handcuffs to silk ties. Something tells me so do you. Goodnight James. _

James tries not to dwell on the message and fall asleep again. But his sleep seems to have escaped him. 


End file.
